Greenland

Five nations agree to Arctic protections

Article published on the 2008-05-28 Latest update 2008-05-28 19:33 TU

An Arctic iceberg in Ilulissat
Photo: AFP

Denmark, Russia, the United States, Canada and Norway agreed to work together to protect the Arctic after meeting in Greenland on Wednesday. The meeting comes on the heels of a recent 'land grab' last year by some of the summit's participants. The Arctic shelf area has a yet-unmined wealth of natural resources, including oil and gas.

The Arctic is already suffering from global warming, as the ice at the top of the world has already begun to melt. And environmentalists fear that any exploration, mining or drilling into the ice cap could cause further damage.

At the summit in Ilulissat, Greenland, a commitment was made to ensure and protect the flora and fauna in Arctic Ocean.

The five countries also pledged to work transparently and in the spirit of cooperation.

"It's particularly important that the five Arctic countries signal to the rest of the world that they want to cooperate," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Denmark called for the one-day summit in its self-governing province in an effort to end the fight for the Arctic. Last summer, Russia placed a tiny flag beneath the polar ice cap, claiming it for their own, while Danish scientists have tried to prove that the Lomonosov Ridge is in fact part of Denmark.

As part of the UN Law of the Sea Convention, countries have economic rights to waters within 320 kilometres of their shores. The UN will accept scientific data until 2014, and will decide on ownership at that time.